Trains Unit Study
Explore the world of trains with free and low-cost resources to study the invention, development, and influence of trains. Topics include how trains work, the differences between freight and passenger systems, and the role of railroads in shaping communities. A mix of printables, games, activities, and crafts helps keep learning engaging.
The unit is suitable for grades K–12, with flexibility to adapt based on your learners’ ages and abilities. Please preview links and activities to ensure they are appropriate for your family. New resources will be added as time allows.
Many of the links below lead to printable resources that can be added to a notebook or lapbook for this study.
Learning Objectives
Many parents and teachers will need to create their own goals. You can compare the goals at these sites to create your own goals depending on how stringent your requirements need to be. All links have several suggested activities for different ages.
Suggested Curriculum Standards:
- World Book Scope Basic Course structure https://www.worldbook.com/free-educational-resources#tcos
- Michigan Department of Education https://www.michigan.gov/mde/services/academic-standards
- Maine as an example of state level requirements https://www.maine.gov/doe/ela/standards/index.html
- California state level requirements https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/
- McREL Compendium National Level https://www2.mcrel.org/compendium/
- Ontario Canada K-8 Expectations https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum#elementary
- Abeka Scope and Sequence https://www.abeka.com/HomeSchool/ScopeAndSequence.aspx
- The series of books called “What your nth Grader needs to know” May also be helpful nth representing the grade your child is in. This series only Goes to grade 8
- Identify how trains have changed transportation and industry over time.
- Describe how steam engines and modern trains operate.
- Use maps to trace major train routes across the United States.
- Explore careers related to trains: engineers, conductors, brakemen, track layers.
- Practice vocabulary and creative writing using a train theme.
- Use math to explore speed, distance, weight, and schedules.
- Engage in train-themed music, art, movement, and hands-on STEM projects.
Timeline
1804 – First full-scale working railway steam locomotive built by Richard Trevithick in the UK.
1825 – Stockton and Darlington Railway opens in England, the first public railway to use steam locomotives.
1830 – First American steam-powered passenger railway: the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O).
1862 – U.S. Pacific Railway Act signed by President Lincoln, authorizing the first transcontinental railroad.
1869 – Golden Spike driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, completing the U.S. Transcontinental Railroad.
1880s – Railroads expand across the U.S. and Canada, changing travel, trade, and settlement.
1934 – The Burlington Zephyr sets a diesel-powered speed record, signaling the decline of steam.
1964 – Japan launches the Shinkansen (“bullet train”), the world’s first high-speed rail.
1971 – Amtrak is founded to preserve U.S. passenger rail travel.
Present Day – Countries around the world continue developing high-speed, electric, and eco-friendly trains.
Vocabulary
| Box car | Fuel | Smokestack |
| Caboose | Golden spike | Steam |
| Cattle car | Gondola car | Steam engine |
| Coal | Horsepower | Tank car |
| Conductor | Immigrant | Tender |
| Dynamite | Iron horse | Track |
| Engine | John Henry | Train |
| Engineer | Magnetic Levitation | Transcontinental |
| Expansion | Molly Maguires | Trestle |
WordWeb Dictionary – Free downloadable dictionary software
Dictionary.com – Online definitions and pronunciation
Word Puzzles
Word searches boost visual recognition and spelling through repetition. Word scrambles build memory and problem-solving as kids piece words together. Both improve focus and keep learning low-pressure and engaging. Have kids use the words in a sentence or drawing afterward to reinforce meaning.
Below are word puzzles I created for this unit.
Train Word Scramble
Train Word Search
Book Resources
Busy Trains by Peter Lippman
The Caboose Got Loose by Bill Peet
Casey Jones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Jones
Choo Choo The Runaway Engine by Virginia Burton
Death of the Iron Horse by Paul Goble
Engine, Engine Number 9
Eye Openers: Trains by Angela Royston
Eyewitness Books: Trains by John Coiley
Faster, Faster, Little Red Train by Benedict Blathwayt
Freight Train by Donald Crews
Inside Story – A 19th Century Railway Station
Great Trains To Cut Out & Put Together by Carrie J. Taylor
Kate Shelley and the Midnight Express by Margaret K. Wetterer
Kate Shelley: Bound for Legend by Robert D. San Souci
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
The Little Engine That Could and The Big Chase by Michaela Nuntean
Little Red Caboose by Steve Metzger
New True Book: Trains by Ray Broekel
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Railway Station Mouse & Mole and the All-Weather Train Ride by Doug Cushman
Railways and Trains by Caroline Young and Colin King
Short Cut by Donald Crew
Short Train, Long Train by Frank Asch
Thomas and Friends Books
Tracks by David Galef
Tracks Across America: The Story of the American Railroad 1825-1900 by Leonard Everett Fisher
Train Leaves The Station by Eve Merriam
The Train Ride by June Crebbin
Train Song by Diane Siebert
Trains by Gail Gibbons
Poetry + Music
Clickety Clack Train Song for Kids by James Coffey
Engine Engine #9 by Roger Miller
I’ve Been Working on the Railroad by John Denver
Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford
Little Red Caboose by Kidsongs
The Train Song Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Super Simple Songs
Wabash Cannonball sung by Johnny Cash
Chattanooga Choo Choo by Glenn Miller
Train Songs at Songs for Teaching
Video & Software Resources
Thomas and Friends stream on Netflix
Mighty Express stream on Netflix
Chuggington stream on Prime Video
The Shining Time Station complete series on YouTube
Trains for Children on YouTube
This is America, Charlie Brown, Volume 3: The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad. watch on the Internet Archive
Games
Use these ideas to turn key concepts from this unit into creative, engaging games your learners will love.
Game Board Blanks
Create your own themed games for this unit using printable templates and inspiration from the sites below:
- Games . . . Tools for Learning by Mark and Janice Vreeland
- Games for Learning ideas from Mary Peterson
- Board Game Templates – Tim’s Printables – free blank game boards
- JustFamilyFun – Board Game Paths
- Educational Board Games – Cardboard Cognition – printable game boards and pieces
More Game Ideas
Ticket to Ride First Journey boardgame
Ticket To Ride boardgame
El: The Chicago Transit Adventure Game boardgame
Neverending Card Deck
Use the Neverending Card Deck card and box templates to make your own sets. You can flip the card template to print your custom design on the back. Free clipart works great for themed backs or matching your card box. These cards can be used in both card games and board games.
Train Tracks Card Game
Make your own card game. This is a matching and strategy game. Build complete train routes by matching cards with correct train parts and destinations before your opponents do.
Card Types:
Train Parts (engine, passenger car, freight car, caboose, coal car, dining car, etc.)
Destinations (city names or landmarks)
Rail Hazards (track blocked, bridge out, delay card – use as “miss a turn” or “lose a card”)
Bonus Cards (extra turn, track switch, fix a hazard)
How to Play:
Shuffle and deal 5 cards to each player. Put the rest in a draw pile.
On your turn, lay down a train route in this order: Engine → 1 or more Cars → Caboose → Destination.
You can only play if you have an Engine and a Destination.
Hazards slow your opponents down; Bonus cards help you.
First player to complete 3 train routes wins!
Optional Add-ons:
Add vocabulary terms to each card (e.g., “Caboose – the last car on the train”).
Use historical cities or real rail lines as destinations.
GeoSafari Cards
Using the GeoSafari Instruction Guide, you can create a wide variety of custom cards for this unit. GeoSafari is especially great for independent learning and long car trips!
Donna Young shows you how to make GeoSafari Cards
DIY Card Ideas
- Timeline event ↔ date matching cards
- True or false review questions
- Vocabulary words ↔ real-life images
- Chapter-based quizzes or review sets
Make a matching vocabulary GeoSafari Card You could also turn this vocabulary list into a crossword puzzle or game card deck.
- Box car – A freight car covered with a roof and enclosed on the sides to protect its contents.
- Trestle – A framework consisting of vertical, slanted supports and horizontal crosspieces supporting a bridge.
- Engineer – One who operates an engine.
- Engine – A machine that converts energy into mechanical force or motion.
- Smokestack – A large chimney or vertical pipe through which combustion vapors, gases, and smoke are discharged.
- Track – A rail or set of parallel rails upon which railroad cars or other vehicles run.
- Caboose – The last car on a freight train, having kitchen and sleeping facilities for the train crew.
- Steam engine – An engine that converts the heat energy of pressurized steam into mechanical energy, especially one in which steam drives a piston in a closed cylinder.
- Transcontinental – Extending or going across a continent; as, a transcontinental railroad or journey.
- Horsepower – A unit of power in the U.S. Customary System, equal to 745.7 watts or 33,000 foot-pounds per minute.
- Dynamite – Any of a class of powerful explosives composed of nitroglycerin or ammonium nitrate dispersed in an absorbent medium with a combustible dope.
- Coal – A natural dark brown to black graphitelike material used as a fuel, formed from fossilized plants and consisting of amorphous carbon with various organic and some inorganic compounds.
- Iron horse – A railroad locomotive.
- Conductor – One who is in charge of a railroad train, bus, or streetcar.
- Immigrant – A person who leaves one country to settle permanently in another.
- Tender – A railroad car attached to the rear of a locomotive and designed to carry fuel and water.
- Cattle car – A freight car for transporting cattle.
- Steam – Pressurized water vapor used for heating, cooking, or to provide mechanical power.
- Tank car – A freight car that transports liquids or gases in bulk.
- Train – A series of connected railroad cars pulled or pushed by one or more locomotives.
Clip Art & Fonts
Train Clip Art
Fontspace Train Fonts
Dafont Toy Train Font
Dafont Train Letters Font
Art and Craft Ideas
Japan Train Station Diorama paper craft
Locomotives at Canon Creative Park
Disney Main Street Train Station paper carft
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum First Train on the Central Pacific Railroad Painting by Joseph Hubert Becker
Recipes
Thomas the Tank Engine Vegetable Trains
Hostess Twinkie Trains. To make trains out Hostess Twinkies, take one Twinkie and 6 vanilla wafers. Use tubed decorator gel or cream cheese to “glue” the wheels on. Kids can decorate the Twinkies then “glue” the wheels on the sides. Use a marshmallow for the smokestack.
Dinner in the Diner During the Golden Age of Rail Travel
Railroad Dining Cars – A History from N.C. Transportation Museum
The Rich History of Train Car Dining
Field Trips
Public Tours At Michigan Central Station
Guided Public Tours Individuals, families, and small groups can reserve spots on guided, public tours. Space is limited; advanced booking is recommended. More about their tours at Detroit History Tours.
2001 15th St
Detroit, MI 48216
Durand Union Station in Durand, MI, is a historic train depot that houses the Michigan Railroad History Museum and a gift shop. Their website also has virtual tour.
200 S Railroad St
Durand, MI 48429
More Michigan Train Tours
California State Railroad Museum
Activities and Lesson Plans
Comparing Freight Trains vs. Passenger Trains – Use the Venn diagram to compare and contrast freight trains and passenger trains using this Venn diagram. See the differences in purpose, cargo, design, and travel routes—while identifying what all trains have in common.
The Henry Ford: Railroads Collection View historic photos, artifacts, and learn about innovations that show how trains shaped American life and industry.
Steam Engine Coloring Page from Enchanted Learning
Trains Coloring Book
Train Coloring Pages from the Monday Mandala team
Daylight Saving Time Explained Trains played a huge role in the development of standardized time zones. Before railroads, towns set clocks locally, which created chaos for scheduling trains. The solution? A synchronized time system. Learn more about the invention of daylight saving time and the role trains played.
Talk about how the wheels fit onto the train track.
The Railroad Journey and the Industrial Revolution | Crash Course World History
The Railway Revolution: History’s Most Groundbreaking Trains | Man’s Greatest Achievements
PBS Tracks Ahead showcases railroads from around the world—includes historical, modern, and scenic trains.
Streamliners (PBS American Experience) Discover how sleek, fast passenger trains transformed American travel in the 1930s and beyond.
Timeline
Streamliners DVD on Amazon
Locomotion: The Amazing World of Trains: Engines of Enterprise Study Guide
Locomotion: The Amazing World of Trains: Magic Machines and Mobile People Study Guide
Locomotion: The Amazing World of Trains: Taming the Iron Monster Study Guide
Locomotion: The Amazing World of Trains: The War Machines Study Guide
Trains Unlimited: Atchinson, Topeka & Santa Fe Study Guide
Trains Unlimited: Built for Speed Study Guide
Trains Unlimited: Grand Central Study Guide
Trains Unlimited: Great Railroad Visionaries Study Guide
Trains Unlimited: Railway Marvels Study Guide
Trains Unlimited: Steam Trains Study Guide
Trains Unlimited: Toy Trains Study Guide
Modern Marvels: The Railroads That Tamed the Wild West (S2, E9) | Full Episode on YouTube
Modern Marvels: The Railroads That Tamed the West Study Guide
Modern Marvels: Transcontinental Railroad Episode. You may be able to find episodes on the internet, possibly through YouTube, but as some of the links I’ve found were not from The History Channel, I haven’t linked them as they change often.
Modern Marvels: Transcontinental Railroad Study Guide
Modern Marvels: Freight Trains Plus
Save Our History: Grand Central Study Guide
Web Information
What is a tank engine, as in Thomas the Tank Engine?
National Railway Museum Packed with train history, inventions, and educational activities. Great for upper-grade students or as a visual research project hub.
The History of Railroad Technology From Greek Trackways to Tomorrow’s Hyperloop Trains
Beginner’s Guide to Railroad Signals How to Read US Train Signals
Worksheets
Make your own worksheets with these worksheet creation tools:
- SchoolHouseTech https://www.schoolhousetech.com/ This company gives away two free software worksheet factories one for Basic math and one for wordsearch utility that will make wonderful complements to this unit when you include the clipart listed in the clipart section.
- Start Write – This program makes nice reports and handwriting worksheets for the unit. https://www.startwrite.com/
- TeachNology has several online worksheet makers and a ton of Rubric makers. Rubrics work great with Homeschool Tracker because they give you total points and you count up exactly how many points your child gets. https://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/
- Online Crossword Puzzle Maker to use with your vocabulary words or locations or even dates from the timeline. https://www.happychild.org.uk/wks/english/ssm/crosswords01.htm
Train Lapbook Ideas
Each mini-book or flap can be made from folded paper, index cards, or printable templates.
Parts of a Train
Mini-book or layered flaps for:
- Locomotive
- Freight cars
- Passenger cars
- Caboose
- Couplers and wheels
Train Types Around the World
Accordion fold or flipbook to compare:
- Bullet trains (Japan)
- Eurostar (Europe)
- Maglev trains (China)
- Amtrak (USA)
- Steam trains (historical)
Timeline of Trains Horizontal strip timeline with major dates
How Trains Work
Wheel diagram showing:
- Engine power (steam/diesel/electric)
- Gears and axles
- Track and signal systems
Train Safety Signals
Flip-up tabs showing different signs and what they mean
- Railroad crossing
- Signal lights
- Whistle posts
Train Vocabulary Pocket
Writing Prompt Booklets
- “If I Rode the Rails…” (write from your perspective as the passenger)
- “Diary of a Steam Engine”
Optional Add-ons
Train coloring pages
Origami or paper craft train
Postcard-style drawings of famous trains
Evaluation Ideas
Assemble a three ring binder and please include:
- A copy of this unit
- Course Description (Highschool Students)
- Write a summary about books read for the unit
- Write an essay on the various topics discussed
- Your Lapbook created for the unit (K-8 Students)
- Any worksheets or activity books created with SchoolhouseTech Software https://www.schoolhousetech.com/
- Your journal and its contents
- Your Log of activities from Homeschool Tracker https://www.homeschooltracker.com/free-homeschool-tracker-basic-edition Its Free!
- Your Timeline
Affiliate Links
 |
 |
Last Updated on December 27, 2025 by Jodi
